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Acetic |
Sour
or vinegar characteristics of a wine. |
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Acidity |
Sourness
or tartness. |
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Aerate;
Aeration |
The
process of allowing a wine to "breathe," that is, to allow
it to come into contact with air (oxygen). |
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Aftertaste |
Lingering
taste of wine in your mouth after consuming it. |
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Age;
Aged; Aging |
Allowing
the wine to get older and, hopefully, better over time. Most white
wines are meant to be consumed within two years, although there are
certainly exceptions to this rule. For instance some Chardonnays and
even Vidal Blancs. |
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Alsace |
A
french wine region |
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AOC |
An
acronym that stands for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
(see below). |
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Apéritif |
Alcoholic
beverage consumed before dinner, usually to enliven the pallette and
stimulate the appetite so that the experience of the meal will be enhanced. |
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Appellation |
The
specific area where grapes were grown. |
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Appellation
d'Origine Contrôlée |
The
French quality control system, created by The National Institute of
Appellations of Origin (INAO) in 1935 that applies to wines and
certain food products. See also AOC. |
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Aroma |
The
scent of the wine. |
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Auslese |
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AVA |
An
acronym that stands for American Viticultural Area. AVAs are
distinct growing areas in the United States that exhibit unique
characteristics and environmental influences that impact the grapes
and evidenced in the wines produced from a particular area. |
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Back
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Balance |
Refers
to the desirable harmony achieved among the acidity, tannins, mouth
feel, and flavor of the fruit. |
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Blanc |
White
wine. |
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Blanc
de Blanc |
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Blanc
de Noir |
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Body |
Generally
describes the weight and texture as indicated by the alcohol content
of a wine. Can be light, medium or full bodied. |
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Botrytis
Cinerea |
A
disease that attacks certain varietals,
producing wines with high residual sugar like Sauternes and
late-harvest Rieslings. |
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Bouquet |
Describes
the complex aromas emitted by mature wines. Contrasted with aroma
that tends to be associated with young wines. See aroma. |
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Breathe |
Allowing
the wine to come into contact with air (oxygen). |
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Brix |
Pronounced
"bricks," is a scale used to measure the sugar content of
wines in the United States. |
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Brut |
Describes
a dry champagne or sparkling wine. |
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Beaujolais
Nouveau |
The
first output from each harvest of Gamay.
Generally released on the Third Thursday of November each year and
is usually accompanied by a celebration. |
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Buttery |
Mouth
feel that is rich and smooth in texture. Reminicsent of butter. Most
often experienced with oaked chardonnays. |
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Back
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Cabernet Franc |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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Carbonic
Maceration |
Also
known as "whole grape fermentation", this is a process of
wine making whereby uncrushed grapes are placed into a vat along with
a layer of carbon dioxide. Thus fermentation begins in the skin of
the berry. This kind of fermentation creates ethanol as well as
various appealing aroma components. Creates a wine that is less
tannic and enjoyable as a young wine (like Beaujolais Nouveau). |
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Cellar |
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Chambourcin |
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Champagne |
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Chardonnay |
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Château |
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Chewy |
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Clarity |
Descriptor
used to express that the appearance of the wine is clear, not cloudy. |
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Clos |
A
french term meaning "enclosed," generally, and in
reference to wines, an enclosed vineyard. |
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Closure |
See
also cork. |
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Complexity |
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Concentration |
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Cork |
See
also closure. |
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Corkage |
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Cru |
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Cryo-extraction |
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Cuvée |
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Back
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Decant |
The
process of pouring the wine out of the bottle into another container
(usually a decanter) to introduce air into a young wine to make it
more expressive or to remove an older wine from the sediment that has
fallen out of solution over time. |
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Dechanauc |
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Depth |
The complexity of a wine and the flavors. |
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Dry |
The absence of sweetness to the taste. |
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Back
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Earthy |
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Eiswein |
See ice
wine. |
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Back
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Fat |
Also known as flabby, this term is describes a wine that is dull or
lacks structure. |
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Fermentation |
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Filtered, Filtratation |
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Finish |
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Frontenac |
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Back
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Gamay |
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Green |
A characteristic of wine expressed as tart and lacking fruit flavor
due to use of unripe grapes. |
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Grüner
Veltliner |
Also
known as Gru-Vee, is Austria's very own white wine varietal. |
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Back
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Hang time |
The amount of time the grape clusters spend hanging on the vine. |
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Back
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Ice wine |
Wine made from grapes that were frozen on the vine and harvested and
pressed thereafter. This produces dense juice with highly
concentrated flavors. These wines are generally high in residual
sugar. |
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Jammy |
Reminiscent of jam. Presents as extremely "fruity" and not
very complex. |
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Back
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Kir |
Named after Félix Kir, Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, France,
this is a white wine based drink infused with black currant liquor.
In France it is usually consumed as an apéritif before a meal
or snack. |
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Kir Royale |
Named after Félix Kir, Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, France,
this is a champagne based drink infused with black currant liquor. Kir
Pétillant is the "sparkling wine" version. |
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Back
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Lean |
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Legs |
The lines or tears of wine that appear on the sides of the wine glass
when swirled. They can appear "thin" or "fat". |
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Leon Millot |
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Back
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Malbec |
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Meritage |
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Merlot |
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Méthode
Champenoise |
The
traditional French method of creating champagne that involves a
secondary fermenation in the bottle to produce carbonation. |
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Moscato |
See
also Muscat. |
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Mouth feel |
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Muscat |
See
also Moscato. |
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